Following destruction of church printing office in Independence, Missouri, July 1833, JS and other church leaders determined to set up new printing office in Kirtland under firm name F. G. Williams & Co. Oliver Cowdery purchased new printing press in New ...

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

5 Nov. 1802–22 July 1878. Stove plate molder. Born in Lanesborough, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Sheldon Brooks and Sarah Noble. Moved to Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., before 1820. Married Amy Sophia Hazen, July 1827. Moved to Waterville, Oneida Co.,...

7 Sept. 1804–21 July 1887. Born at Ovid, Seneca Co., New York. Son of John Coltrin and Sarah Graham. Member of Methodist church. Married first Julia Ann Jennings, Oct. 1828. Baptized into LDS church by Solomon Hancock, 9 Jan. 1831, at Strongsville, Cuyahoga...

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

The letter acknowledged the action taken in the
2 October 1841 conference in
Nauvoo to disfellowship
Kirtland,
Ohio, stake president
Babbitt for teaching “doctrine contrary to the
revelations of God and detrimental to the interest of the church” and requested
counsel on his case. The letter also explained the hopes of Kirtland church
leaders to build up the city and their attempt to establish a printing office.
Babbitt had attempted to explain his actions in an earlier letter to the First
Presidency. (Lester Brooks et al.,
Kirtland, OH, to JS et al., Nauvoo, IL, 16 Nov. 1841,
JS Collection, CHL; “Minutes of a
Conference,”Times and Seasons,
15 Oct. 1841, 2:577; Almon Babbitt, Kirtland, OH, to JS et al.,
Nauvoo, IL, 19 Oct. 1841, JS Collection, CHL.)

to offer satisfaction. if he
wishes so to do,
according to the minutes of the Conference, YouaredoubtlessallwellawarethatallthestakesexceptthoseinHancock,
Co.

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

Located in north-central Illinois, with part of northern county boundary formed by Rock River. Fertile agricultural area. French trappers frequented area, by 1780. Second Black Hawk campaign fought in area, 1832. Illinois Central Railroad construction began...

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

who desire to remain there.
and build up that place, and as you have made great exertions,
according to your letter, to establish a printing press, & take
care of the poor, &c. since that period, you
may as well continue
operations according to your designs. & go on with your printing,
& do what you can in Righteousness to build up Kirtland
but do not suffer yourselves to harbor the Idea that
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

According to a letter from
Babbitt to the First Presidency, approximately
five hundred church members lived in
Kirtland
at this time. At a church conference in Kirtland on 2 October 1841, it was decided that the printing
press would publish a periodical titled The Olive Leaf and that
profits from the proposed printing operation would be used to benefit the
church; however, there is no evidence that this press produced any
publications. (Almon Babbitt, Kirtland,
OH, to JS et al., Nauvoo, IL, 19 Oct. 1841, JS
Collection, CHL; “Conference Minutes,” Times and
Seasons, 1 Nov. 1841, 3:587–589.)

The deed,
signed by
Wightman and his wife, Dolly Eaton
Wightman, is recorded in the
Hancock County Deed Record
Book. Wightman was instructed on 13 December
1841 to “transfer all the Church property in
Ramus to the Sole
trustee in trust
Joseph
Smith.” (Hancock Co.,
IL, Deed Records, vol. K, pp. 19–20, microfilm 954,599, U.S. and Canada Record
Collection, FHL; JS,
Journal, 13 Dec. 1841.)

15 July 1761–11 Mar. 1844. Born at Anson Co. (later Lincoln Co.), North Carolina. Son of Robert Biggan Perkins and Elizabeth Lollar. Served in American Revolution, 1778–1779. Moved to what became Abbeville Co., South Carolina, 1779. Married Sarah (Sally) ...

Conference
Decr 4 & 5th.
1841.) after applying sufficient of said property to liquidate
the claims of those from whom the Town was purchased,12

The branch at
Ramus appointed Bishop
William Wightman, in a meeting on
15 July 1840, to acquire land on which the
town would be built from
Miller and from
Ute, William, and
Absalom Perkins. (Macedonia Branch, Record, 15 July
1840.)

Following destruction of church printing office in Independence, Missouri, July 1833, JS and other church leaders determined to set up new printing office in Kirtland under firm name F. G. Williams & Co. Oliver Cowdery purchased new printing press in New ...

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

5 Nov. 1802–22 July 1878. Stove plate molder. Born in Lanesborough, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Sheldon Brooks and Sarah Noble. Moved to Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., before 1820. Married Amy Sophia Hazen, July 1827. Moved to Waterville, Oneida Co.,...

7 Sept. 1804–21 July 1887. Born at Ovid, Seneca Co., New York. Son of John Coltrin and Sarah Graham. Member of Methodist church. Married first Julia Ann Jennings, Oct. 1828. Baptized into LDS church by Solomon Hancock, 9 Jan. 1831, at Strongsville, Cuyahoga...

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

The letter acknowledged the action taken in the
2 October 1841 conference in
Nauvoo to disfellowship
Kirtland,
Ohio, stake president
Babbitt for teaching “doctrine contrary to the
revelations of God and detrimental to the interest of the church” and requested
counsel on his case. The letter also explained the hopes of Kirtland church
leaders to build up the city and their attempt to establish a printing office.
Babbitt had attempted to explain his actions in an earlier letter to the First
Presidency. (Lester Brooks et al.,
Kirtland, OH, to JS et al., Nauvoo, IL, 16 Nov. 1841,
JS Collection, CHL; “Minutes of a
Conference,”Times and Seasons,
15 Oct. 1841, 2:577; Almon Babbitt, Kirtland, OH, to JS et al.,
Nauvoo, IL, 19 Oct. 1841, JS Collection, CHL.)

to offer satisfaction. if he
wishes so to do,
according to the minutes of the Conference, YouaredoubtlessallwellawarethatallthestakesexceptthoseinHancock,
Co.

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

Located in north-central Illinois, with part of northern county boundary formed by Rock River. Fertile agricultural area. French trappers frequented area, by 1780. Second Black Hawk campaign fought in area, 1832. Illinois Central Railroad construction began...

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

who desire to remain there.
and build up that place, and as you have made great exertions,
according to your letter, to establish a printing press, & take
care of the poor, &c. since that period, you
may as well continue
operations according to your designs. & go on with your printing,
& do what you can in Righteousness to build up Kirtland
but do not suffer yourselves to harbor the Idea that
Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

According to a letter from
Babbitt to the First Presidency, approximately
five hundred church members lived in
Kirtland
at this time. At a church conference in Kirtland on 2 October 1841, it was decided that the printing
press would publish a periodical titled The Olive Leaf and that
profits from the proposed printing operation would be used to benefit the
church; however, there is no evidence that this press produced any
publications. (Almon Babbitt, Kirtland,
OH, to JS et al., Nauvoo, IL, 19 Oct. 1841, JS
Collection, CHL; “Conference Minutes,” Times and
Seasons, 1 Nov. 1841, 3:587–589.)

The deed,
signed by
Wightman and his wife, Dolly Eaton
Wightman, is recorded in the
Hancock County Deed Record
Book. Wightman was instructed on 13 December
1841 to “transfer all the Church property in
Ramus to the Sole
trustee in trust
Joseph
Smith.” (Hancock Co.,
IL, Deed Records, vol. K, pp. 19–20, microfilm 954,599, U.S. and Canada Record
Collection, FHL; JS,
Journal, 13 Dec. 1841.)

15 July 1761–11 Mar. 1844. Born at Anson Co. (later Lincoln Co.), North Carolina. Son of Robert Biggan Perkins and Elizabeth Lollar. Served in American Revolution, 1778–1779. Moved to what became Abbeville Co., South Carolina, 1779. Married Sarah (Sally) ...

Conference
Decr 4 & 5th.
1841.) after applying sufficient of said property to liquidate
the claims of those from whom the Town was purchased,12

The branch at
Ramus appointed Bishop
William Wightman, in a meeting on
15 July 1840, to acquire land on which the
town would be built from
Miller and from
Ute, William, and
Absalom Perkins. (Macedonia Branch, Record, 15 July
1840.)

recorded
JS’s journal entries from
13 December 1841 through 20
December 1842 in a large leather-bound blank book. The book was first
used by church recorder
Robert B. Thompson

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Member of Methodist church. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into LDS church by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by John Taylor, 22...

to copy revelations.
Between January 1841
and his death on 27 August the same year, Thompson recorded nine of JS’s
revelations, beginning with the 19 January
1841 revelation commanding the building of the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boarding house for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar shares. Cornerstone laid, 2 Oct. 1841, but building never completed beyond...

. On
11 December 1841, following his election as
“sole Trustee in Trust for the Church” earlier in the year, JS instructed that
all donations for building the Nauvoo temple be received directly through his
office rather than through the committee overseeing construction of the temple.
Two days later, he appointed Willard
Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as recorder for the temple and as
his personal scribe. Richards then became custodian of the book Thompson had
used for recording revelations, and Richards apparently began recording journal
entries and tithing donations in some manner on that same day. However, the
quality of inscription for the journal entries in the book suggests that they
are copies of previously inscribed notes, and if Richards began making such
notes in mid-December it
is less certain when he began copying them into the book.1

One of
Richards’s entries records that he was ill “&
did not take notes.” Other entries, such as those dictated by
JS to
William
Clayton while in hiding, are clearly copies of previously inscribed
notes. (JS,
Journal, 17
June 1842;
16 and
23 Aug. 1842.)

Completed 1841. Opened for business, 5 Jan. 1842. Owned by JS, but managed mostly by others, after 1842. First floor housed JS’s general store and counting room, where tithing was received and recorded. On second floor, one of two small rooms served as JS...

Journal entries and donations were
kept concurrently in the book, alternating sometimes every other page and
chronologically leapfrogging each other. This pattern was especially pronounced
near the beginning of the book, where donations and journal entries
occasionally appear together on a single page. Over time, however, larger and
larger blocks of text were dedicated to either donations or journal entries
until eventually, in December 1842, the journal was transferred to another
book. This slow separation or disentanglement of the journal and donation
records—the reasons for which are unclear—was completed long before the volume
was filled; indeed, only 90 of the volume’s 478 pages include journal entries,
and all of these are within the first 215 pages. In several places it is clear
that lists of donations were recorded earlier than were the journal entries
found on preceding pages; that is, Richards and William Clayton—who was
assigned to assist in the recorder’s office 10 February 1842—left several pages
blank between lists of donations and then later filled in those pages with
journal entries.3

This practice sometimes left the scribes
with insufficient space to finish a journal entry before running into the list
of donations, requiring them to continue the entry several pages later.4

For example, the donation
records on pages 136–163 were evidently inscribed before the
16 August 1842 journal entry, which begins
on page 135 and is continued on page 164.

The
interspersing of journal entries with pages of donation records, as well as
JS’s conscious efforts to record the names of
people who helped him, suggests that the volume as a whole was understood in
terms of an 1832 revelation that “a hystory and a
general church record” must be kept “of all things that transpire in Zion and
of all those who consecrate properties . . . and also there manner of life and
the[ir] faith and works.” This record was to be kept in a book called “the book
of the Law of God”—a book whose name parallels that of “the book of the law of
the Lord” mentioned in the Old Testament.5

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Member of Methodist church. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into LDS church by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by John Taylor, 22...

’s revelation transcripts and, at
some point in time, the title “The Book of the Law of the Lord” was inscribed
in the front of the book Richards was filling with journal entries and donation
records. That the revelation transcripts, donation records, and journal entries
appear under the same title and pagination suggests the book’s creators
understood its title to comprehend all of its parts.

included events that occurred before his
appointment as JS’s scribe and temple recorder as well as current journal
entries. For example, in his 13 December
1841 entry on deteriorating conditions in
Warsaw

Located at foot of Des Moines Rapids of Mississippi River at site of three military forts: Fort Johnson (1814), Cantonment Davis (1815–1818), and Fort Edwards (1816–1824). First settlers participated in fur trade. Important trade and shipping center. Post...

, Illinois, Richards explained
what led church members to settle there in the first place. At times these
retrospective entries eclipse the events of the day on which they were written
and have no apparent connection to surrounding entries. The entries for
17 and 29
December 1841, for example, relate to
Brigham
Young

1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877. Carpenter, painter, glazier, colonizer. Born at Whitingham, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. Brought up in Methodist household; later joined Methodist church. Moved to Sherburne, Chenango Co., New...

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

following his mission to
England and to the October
1841 laying of the cornerstone for the
Nauvoo House

JS revelation, dated 19 Jan. 1841, instructed Saints to build boarding house for travelers and immigrants. Construction of planned three-story building to be funded by fifty-dollar shares. Cornerstone laid, 2 Oct. 1841, but building never completed beyond...

,
respectively, but they record nothing about the events of
17 and 29
December. Multiple entries for individual days, sometimes separated by
several pages, add to the complexity of the first part of the journal and also
suggest that Richards wrote retrospectively at least part of the time. Only
after Richards moved into the Smith home in
mid-January 1842 and was
able to more closely observe JS’s actions did the entries become more regular,
and even then multiple entries occasionally occurred. Immediately preceding the
entry for 15 January 1842, the header “Journal of President Joseph” appears—showing that by the
time he moved into JS’s home, Richards considered the daily entries he was
keeping as journal entries.6

See also the entry for 29 June 1842, in which
Richards transferred “this Journal” to his
assistant
William
Clayton.

kept
JS’s journal in the Book of the Law of the Lord
through 29 June 1842, shortly after which he
left for
Richmond,
Massachusetts, to bring his family to
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

. Among the numerous topics
addressed in Richards’s entries are problems relating to the purchase of land
in the Nauvoo area, the organization of the Female Relief Society, and the
developing rift between JS and two of his close associates,
John
C. Bennett

3 Aug. 1804–5 Aug. 1867. Physician, minister, poultry breeder. Born at Fairhaven, Bristol Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Bennett and Abigail Cook. Moved to Marietta, Washington Co., Ohio, 1808; to Massachusetts, 1812; and back to Marietta, 1822. Married ...

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

One of original thirteen colonies that formed U.S. Capital city, Boston. Colonized by English religious dissenters, 1620s. Population in 1830 about 610,000. Population in 1840 about 738,000. Joseph Smith Sr. born in Massachusetts. Samuel Smith and Orson Hyde...

, to keep during his absence. Two months later, in
early September, Clayton
was appointed temple recorder, officially replacing Richards as custodian of
the Book of the Law of the Lord. Some of Clayton’s entries include accounts of
JS’s activities during the day as well as his activities later in the evening.
In some of these entries, the record of the evening events is inscribed in an
ink that differs from the ink he used to record JS’s activities earlier in the
day yet matches that of the following day’s entry. This indicates that he was
probably writing in the book about some events the very day they occurred.7

—the dedication
of the baptismal font on 8 November 1841, a
miraculous healing in the waters of the font in February 1842, and a deposit made in the cornerstone
on 25 September 1841. JS may have directed
the inclusion of this material after having “heard the Recorder [Willard
Richards

alternatively, Clayton may have recorded it on his own
in his role as assistant temple recorder. Either way, its inclusion clearly
demonstrates the desire to include information about the temple in the record.
The Book of the Law of the Lord was to be kept in the temple when it was
completed.9

Brigham Young et al., “Baptism for
the Dead,” Times and Seasons, 15 Dec. 1841,
3:626.

had kept
JS’s journal for little more than a month when, on
8 August 1842, JS was arrested as part of an
effort to extradite him to
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

to stand trial for alleged
complicity in the attempted assassination of former Missouri governor
Lilburn W. Boggs

14 Dec. 1796–14 Mar. 1860. Bookkeeper, bank cashier, merchant, Indian agent and trader, lawyer, doctor, postmaster, politician. Born at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of John M. Boggs and Martha Oliver. Served in War of 1812. Moved to St. Louis, ca...

JS’s subsequent
efforts to avoid extradition to Missouri were attended by a flurry of letter
writing among JS, his associates, and
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married Rebecca Hewitt, 13...

, who also had clerical skills,
assisted Clayton in copying these and other letters into the journal. Among
other things, this correspondence provides valuable insight into the thoughts
and character of several of
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

’s articulate and thoughtful letters to Carlin, for example, in
which she argued against the legality of Boggs’s affidavit and the entire
extradition proceedings, reveal a woman of ability and resourcefulness. Two of
JS’s letters written to members of the church during this period provided
important instructions regarding proxy baptisms for deceased persons and record
keeping. Clayton and Snow also copied into the journal three of the early
letters in a lengthy series between JS and his
New York

Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...

21 Dec. 1788–25 Dec. 1863. Attorney, newspaper publisher, educator, author. Born in New York. Married first Sophia, ca. 1811. Served as third and later second lieutenant in First U.S. Artillery, 1 Aug. 1813–14 Oct. 1814. Published American System of Practical...

JS spent much of the last five months of 1842 in hiding to avoid arrest and
extradition to
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

. Periods of enforced solitude gave
him time for sustained reflection and opportunity to commit his thoughts to
paper. Lengthy recitations of the names and deeds of his loyal friends, and
explicit references to his desire to have them recorded in the Book of the Law
of the Lord are unique features of this part of his journal and contribute—like
the lists of donations for the temple—to the unusual character of the book as a
whole.

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

continued keeping
JS’s journal in the Book of the Law of the Lord
through 20 December of that year. Clayton’s
entries end with a recital of his, Richards’s, and several other men’s efforts
in
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became state capital, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of LDS church organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued May 1841; branch organized, Jan. ...

,
Illinois, to resolve a bankruptcy case involving JS. While there, they also
counseled with Judge
Stephen A. Douglas

23 Apr. 1813–3 June 1861. Lawyer, politician. Born at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Stephen Arnold Douglass and Sarah Fisk. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, 1830. Moved to Jacksonville, Morgan Co., Illinois, 1833. Served as attorney general of Illinois...

1790–Oct. 1855. Teacher, lawyer. Born in Keene, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Ca. 1810, moved to Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York, where he taught school and studied law. Admitted to bar, 1812, at Watertown. Practiced law in Adams, Jefferson Co., and Sackets...

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. School teacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

. All three gave suggestions for how
JS might safely and successfully proceed in the case against him. On
21 December 1842, the day following the
party’s return to
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

As temple recorder, Clayton retained possession of the
Book of the Law of the Lord, in which he continued to record tithing and other
donations.

Chronological
Index to Journal Entries

Journal entries in the Book of the Law of the Lord were not
always dated sequentially. In addition, there are several dates for which more
than one entry was made, often with entries for other dates intervening. This
chronological index helps to locate journal entries. In this index, sequential
journal entries are not individually listed, and dates with no journal entry
are not noted.

; 90 pages; in “The Book of the Law
of the Lord,” Record Book, 1841–1845, CHL. Includes shorthand; also includes
redactions and use marks.

JS’s journal for
December 1841–December 1842
was inscribed in a large, leather-bound blank book made with thick paper. The
paper bears a star-shaped watermark in the middle of each leaf and was printed
with forty-seven blue lines on each side. The text block was originally formed
with thirty gatherings of eight leaves each. The second gathering, however, has
only six leaves. This six-leaf gathering was either a binding error or one
sheet came loose from the binding before the book was inscribed (the book’s
inscription and pagination runs through this gathering without skipping any
text or page numbers). The gatherings were sewn all along. Each set of front
and back endpapers consisted of a gathering of four leaves of unlined paper,
but only two leaves are now extant in the back gathering. The trimmed pages
measure 16¼ × 10½ inches (41 × 27 cm). Headbands were sewn onto the text block.
The exterior pages of the endpapers are joined to the pasteboards with a strip
of pink cloth. Marbled papers featuring a shell pattern with green body and
veins of red and yellow are glued to the inside covers of the boards and to the
exterior page of each gathering of endpapers. The leaf edges are stained green.
The text block is bound in a ledger style to the boards. The spine was
constructed with four false raised bands demarcating five panels. The boards
and spine are covered in suede leather with additional leather strips over the
top and bottom of the book. The suede leather was blind tooled on the outside
covers, the raised bands of the spine, and the turned-in edges on the inside
cover. The additional leather strips, which also cover the first and fifth
panels of the spine, are embossed with dual lines and vegetal designs along the
borders and have gold line filling. The spine is further embossed with the
number “6” in 20-point type on the fifth panel. The second and fourth panels
have black-painted squares of paper glued to them. These feature gold lining
and decoration at the top and bottom. The completed volume measures 17 × 11 ×
2¼ inches (43 × 28 × 6 cm) and includes 244 free leaves. A penciled inscription
at the inside top corner of page [ii]—the verso of the front marbled
flyleaf—gives what appears to be an expensive price for this high-quality blank
book: “bth | 10.00”.

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Member of Methodist church. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into LDS church by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by John Taylor, 22...

made minor revisions to these
revelation texts. Apparently either Richards or Thompson inscribed page numbers
on pages 3­–18, beginning at the first page of lined paper, in a stylized
script. Richards inscribed page numbers on pages 19–25 as well as on the next
several dozen pages—which included journal entries for
JS and records of donations in cash and in kind
for the construction of the
Nauvoo temple

. At some point
page [1], the recto of the last leaf of unlined endpaper in the front of the
book, was inscribed with a title: “THE | BOOK | of the | LAW
| of the | LORD”. Because these words are hand lettered in various
ornate styles, the handwriting cannot be identified. A matching title appears
on the spine of the volume: the square label of black paper on the second panel
of the spine bears a smaller square label of white paper with a hand-lettered
inscription: “LAW | — of the — | LORD.”
Willard Richards inscribed pages 26–126 of the book, with help from
William
Clayton

on pages 189–190 and 192–201. These clerks and scribes generally
paginated the book and inscribed dateline page headers along the way as they
inscribed its texts.1

The page numbers on pages 19–71, 86–90, and 122–125
are in the handwriting of
Willard Richards; on pages 72–85, 91–121, 126–167,
and 171–477, in the handwriting of
William
Clayton; and on pages 168–170, in the handwriting of
Erastus Derby. There are two pages numbered 453.
Pages 476–477 constitute the last leaf of lined paper. The headers generally
consist of a year or a month and year. The headers inscribed on pages 26–27,
29–71, 88–95, 119, and 121–126 are in the handwriting of Richards; the headers
inscribed on pages 28, 72–87, 96–118, 120, 127–167, and 172–215 are in the
handwriting of Clayton; pages 168–171, which were inscribed by Derby, have no
headers. A few other pages are missing headers.

The donation records constitute the bulk of the volume. The journal entries are
inscribed on pages 26, 31, 33, 36, 39, 43, 44, 48, 56–61, 66–67, 88–95,
122–135, and 164–215. As is also the case with the pages bearing donation
records, many of the pages bearing journal entries have vertical margin lines
inscribed in graphite. The journal entries themselves are inscribed in ink that
is now brown. Pages 165–181, however, either include or are entirely in blue
ink. Some of the entries begin with a descriptive heading as well as a
dateline. The entry for 6 January 1842, for
example, features the large heading “The New Year”. Page 58 features the large
double underlined heading “Journal of
President Joseph”. Many of the entries are
divided by horizontal lines. Where groups of journal entries span several
pages, notes written at the beginning and end of these spans reference the
previous or succeeding pages of journal entries.2

For example,
page 135 points the reader
to page 164, which begins by noting the continuation from page 135.

The volume contains a number of redactions
that were made as the journal entries were later revised for inclusion in the
“History of
Joseph
Smith” published in Mormon newspapers in the mid-nineteenth century.3

This serialized history
drew on the journals herein, beginning with the 4
July 1855 issue of the Deseret News and with the
3 January 1857 issue of the LDS
Millennial Star.

Most of these redactions, made in graphite,
were subsequently erased.4

Most of these now-erased graphite inscriptions are
recoverable with bright white light and magnification. Pages 209–215, which
were not erased, represent the state of the journal entries generally when they
were used for drafting the “History of Joseph Smith.”

The upper
left-hand corner of page 3 bears the graphite inscription “6”, a redactive note
on page 43 is inscribed in purple pencil, and red-penciled “X”s appear in the
margins next to entries on pages 164 and 180. Notes written on three white and
three blue slips of paper of various sizes have been inserted in various
places, as well as a clipped portion of a
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

-era elder’s certificate form
with no notes (apparently just a placeholder). There are also two leaves of
pink paper just inside the front of the volume. All of these slips and leaves
of paper are loose and appear to have been added to the book subsequent to its
use as a journal.

The book is intricately related to its successor volume, the
1844–1846 donation record, and to a
volume that indexed the donation records.5

The “Law of the Lord” is
listed as such in inventories of church records made in Salt Lake City, Utah,
in the 1850s. These show that the
volume was held for a time in the office of church president Brigham
Young.6

1 Nov. 1808–25 July 1887. Preacher, editor, publisher, politician. Born at Milnthorpe, Westmoreland Co., England. Son of James Taylor and Agnes Taylor, members of Church of England. Around age sixteen, joined Methodists and was local preacher. Migrated from...

At some point the book was marked on the spine with an
archival sticker, which was later removed. The book eventually was housed with
the papers of Joseph Fielding Smith, apparently during his
tenure as church historian and recorder (1921–1970), and then became part of
the First Presidency’s papers when he became church president in 1970.8

“Inventory of President Joseph Fielding Smith’s
Safe,” 23 May 1970, First Presidency, General Administration Files,
CHL.